Reluctant Visitor
by Target
Summary: A young man is pulled unwillingly into Spira. While he tries to adjust, events take place that begin to unwravel The Eternal Calm. Now he must help Yuna and her guardians if he ever wants to go home. Changed the rating, for violence and swearing.
1. Prolouge

Reluctant Visitor  
  
~Prologue~  
  
Anthony slowly stood up and wiped the sleep from his eyes. He felt like crap. He had a wicked hangover. He stood up and looked out the window of his small apartment. It was a beautiful day, and that made him angry.  
  
"How come the day gets to be great and I get to feel like crap?" he mumbled to no one.  
  
He walked slowly to his bathroom. He turned on the shower and cranked it cold. He got in, and enjoyed the icy feeling to his skin. He knew that in less than two seconds he would go numb and hate it, but he decided to forget that.  
  
He got out of the shower and went to his closet. He pulled out a gray t- shirt, a dark blue collared shirt, and a pair of khaki cargo shorts.  
  
He got dressed and looked at his mirrored closet door. 'Happy belated birthday' he thought. He dressed and went to go meet his girlfriend for breakfast.  
  
  
  
A.N: Hope you like this! This is my first ever fic, so please no flames. Review! C'mon? Please? I need self-esteem! 


	2. It begins

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to FFX.  
  
Reluctant Visitor  
  
Chapter 1 It Begins.  
  
~Earth~  
  
Anthony jogged toward a little sidewalk restaurant. It wasn't far from his apartment. He smiled. This could shape up to be a very good day.  
  
Too bad that he was so goddam nervous.  
  
He and his girlfriend had been going out since early high school. He wanted to say something to her that had meaning. He would talk to her and joke, but never had he let her into anything that had an actual meaning to her. He had never told her she was special, or that he loved her, or anything like that.  
  
He would change that today.  
  
~Spira~  
  
Yuna whistled loudly at the Luca docks. She was getting better at it. She kept whistling and whistling until her lips were dry and she started breathing hard. She gave a sad smile. Three months today. They had beaten the greatest evil ever in Spira, only to lose the greatest hero ever.  
  
She was glad he would never be forgotten. No, wait, she knew she would never be able to forget him, but now Spira would remember him forever. He had a cup named after him, and the Aurochs were about to play in the championship match against Luca.  
  
"Tidus," she said quietly. She quietly picked herself up and left for the game.  
  
~Earth~  
  
Anthony started to walk down the street and saw her. She stared at him, her blonde hair slightly swaying with her movements. Anthony smiled lightly.  
  
Then hell broke loose.  
  
People started to scream from behind him. He spun and saw a wall of water rushing towards him. He ran. Fast. He ran past his girlfriend and dragged her out of her seat.  
  
" Go! Get out of here!!!!"  
  
"But you'll be,"  
  
"Just move damn it!" he said as he shoved her ahead.  
  
As she ran ahead of him, Anthony smiled. Good girl, he thought, get on out of here. He looked back at the encroaching liquid. S*** what is that thing!  
  
Then Anthony tripped. Oh, man. He thought. Here it goes. He closed his eyes and waited for the end.  
  
~Spira~  
  
Yuna rose out of her seat and cheered as Wakka scored a goal. The game was tied at 5-5 and fifteen seconds left.  
  
"What a game this is shaping up to be! The Aurochs are playing great ball today!"  
  
"Yeah, but the goers look as determined as ever to win. They haven't won against the Aurochs since the first tournament!"  
  
"Come on Wakka! You can do this!" Yuna shouted. A blitz game was the only time Yuna forgot the pain. Even then, afterwards, the pain came back twice as bad after the game. She shoved that thought to the back of her mind.  
  
Wakka raced towards the goal as fast as he could, and knocked Bickson out of the pool as he tried to block the path to the goal. Wakka started a half spin to the right, and then, spun around to the right and threw the ball straight at the goal. It flew so fast that the goalie didn't have time to react.  
  
"GOAL! The Aurochs win it! They won the Cup!"  
  
"Looks like the Goers losing streak is holding strong."  
  
"Wait a minute what is that? There's something in the sphere pool!"  
  
Yuna stood up suddenly and looked at whatever had suddenly appeared on the feild.  
  
Water, water everywhere. He couldn't breathe. His lungs felt like they were on fire. He knew he didn't want to, but he opened his eyes.  
  
What he saw made him exhale all the air left in his lungs. He was surrounded by people! They were out side the water, staring at him. He tried to gasp in some air, but his mouth and lungs were filled with water. His hand flew to his through as he felt it try to tighten. Damn, he thought, now I'll never know. The last thing he remembered was someone grabbing the front of his shirt before the darkness claimed him.  
  
A.N: Sooooooo, how'd ya like it? Well, TELL ME! The review button is right down there! Just click it! CLICK IT! Flames are welcome, because it's cold right now and I can't feel my fingers. Send 'em in, I need warmth.  
  
~Target 


	3. Welcome to Spira

Disclaimer: I don't own FFX. I do, however, have too much time on my hands and a computer. You do the math.  
  
Reluctant Visitor  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Welcome to Spira  
  
Yuna stared at the man lying on the bench. He was breathing again, but still unconscious. His coarse black hair was plastered to his brow. He wasn't tall, but not short either. Only about two or three inches taller than her. He had a tan complexion, only a shade or so lighter than Tidus'. Even when this man is dying, I can't stop thinking about him. She felt a pang of guilt.  
  
"Hey, he gonna be okay?" Wakka asked.  
  
"He should. I cured him so much my hands are numb." She replied.  
  
"Well then, why isn't he up yet?" he asked.  
  
"Maybe you should try asking him." Said a deep, sarcastic, yet obviously feminine voice.  
  
"Hey! Lu! You know you shouldn't be out here!" Wakka shouted angrily.  
  
"I couldn't help but come see the idiot who fell into the pool." She said as she walked over above the man, her pregnant stomach almost touching the bench. "Besides, the little one's asking for daddy. Either that or he's practicing blitz in there."  
  
"Ha! That's my son, ya."  
  
"Hey! I think he's coming to!"  
  
Voices. Strange voices talking. Voices bad.  
  
"Stupid radio." He mumbled as he reached behind his head to where his radio was stashed. His hand, however, met with what felt like a, what did it feel like? Then it tapped him back.  
  
"Ahhh! Holy shi.Where am I?" He shouted as he snapped upright and jumped off the bench.  
  
"Hey brudda, calm down. You're in the Aurochs locker room. You fell into the sphere pool."  
  
"The wha. fell?"  
  
"You okay man? You hit your head?"  
  
"What the hell are you talking about? Who the hell are the Aurochs?"  
  
" Wha, you mean you don't know? I mean you had to be watching the game to have fallen in, right"  
  
"What the hell are you talking about? I didn't fall into. Wait, who are you guys?"  
  
"Okay, now I KNOW you hit ya head. I don't try to sound vain, but everyone in Spira knows us."  
  
"WHAT ARE YOU BABBLING ABOUT!? WHERE THE HELL IS SPIRA! WHO PUT YOU UP TO THIS!!! TELL ME!!!" Anthony shouted as he grabbed the straps on Wakka's shoulders. Suddenly there was a sound like an angry beehive, and it went black again.  
  
"Lulu! You didn't have to shock him like that! What if he's hurt!"  
  
"I'm sorry Yuna, but he was hysterical. Don't worry though. I just knocked him out. He'll recover in about three hours."  
  
"Until then, wadda we do wit him?" Wakka asked, massaging his shoulders where his straps started to cut into his skin. Damn, he thought, the guy has a good grip.  
  
"Maybe, back to Besaid? I mean, we can't leave him here."  
  
"I dunno, he may go nuts again, and I don't want a crazy on our island".  
  
"I agree with Yuna, Besaid is a quiet enough place for him to clear his head. Let's ask Cid if he can take another passenger," Lulu said sagely.  
  
Anthony awoke to the sound of birds outside his window. Man, what the hell have I been drinking to get a hangover like this? Then his mind flooded with memories of what had happened. He shot straight up. He was in a small straw and grass hut on a cot with thin blankets. Wha? Where am I now? That's it, I'm never going back to sleep. Whenever I sleep, I wake up somewhere new, he thought. He stood up and walked out of the hut.  
  
"You're up! Great!" Said a female voice next to him. "Lulu was worrying she might have hurt you."  
  
"You put me there? Thanks. I wanted to say sorry about the freak out. I hope I wasn't to much trouble."  
  
"No, It was no problem".  
  
"Great. You know where I can get a ride back to L.A.?"  
  
"Where? Are you sure you're O.K.?"  
  
"L.A. You know, Los Angeles? Big ole' city in California?"  
  
"There's no place like that in Spira. Maybe you should go lay down."  
  
"There's that word again, Spira. What is that? Some little county, a country maybe?"  
  
"That's it. You're going back to sleep" she said rather pushily.  
  
"I'm FINE! Just tell me where is this Spira?"  
  
"Here. This world. The whole planet is Spira"  
  
"What? What are you." then the weight of what she said hit him. He wasn't just somewhere where he could take a bus or a plane home; this was a whole different world.  
  
"Are you okay? You look a little pale."  
  
"What did you say your name was again?"  
  
"My name is Yuna. Who are you?"  
  
"My name is Anthony. Yuna?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I think I'll go rest now".  
  
A.N. Hi guys and girls! I'm back whether you like it or not. Thank you Qui-ti, New guy, neptuneshalo, naian, and rock-star-vt. You guys saved me from falling into a pit of despair and self doubt (not to mention cheddar milk shakes, those are a bit weird). To answer your questions,  
  
Qui-ti: The Disney part kicks you in the ass HARD in the end of that game. And no, I have no intention of removing anything, thanks to you.. Also, don't read my e-mail if you don't want to spoil anything. And it's very sad that you memorized all of Ed's names.  
  
Naian: It does get cold in the mornings here in the winter, but mainly that's just cause I'm a wimp. Even when it's cold in L.A., it's warm.  
  
Rock-star-vt: I did put spaces, but for some weird reason Fanfic.net crunched it up into a few mutated blob paragraphs. And my fingers (the wimps they are,) thank you.  
  
Neptuneshalo: Well you spelled you wrong so HA!!  
  
Thank you! If you trust me enough (don't, I don't even trust me) send me your real address and I may give you money! Not really though.  
  
Trashalanah!  
  
Target. 


	4. The Revival

Disclaimer: I don't own anything remotely similar to Final Fantasy. So I dare you, SUE ME!!!.THAT WAS A JOKE!!!! GET BACK HERE!!!!  
  
Reluctant Visitor  
  
Chapter 3  
  
The Revival  
  
A.N. Sorry kids, it ain't Tidus.  
  
Anthony sat at the foot of his cot. He rested his head on the palm of his hand, with his elbow on his knee. He had been in Spira for about a week now. He was in a small hut, only the size of the bedroom in his apartment back home. He insisted it be a temporary hut.  
  
*Flashback*  
  
"Don't put that much time into it, I'm going back home."  
  
"But you don't know when, ya? You may be here awhile."  
  
"I'm going home".  
  
"But."  
  
"I'm GOING HOME".  
  
"Okay man, if you're sure."  
  
"I am".  
  
*End flashback*  
  
Anthony gave a deep sigh. But when? Wakka was right; I may be here for weeks, or even years! He sighed again.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Come in."  
  
Yuna walked into his hut. "Bad time? I can leave if you want."  
  
"It's fine. Just kinda.I'm thinking about stuff."  
  
"Just brought you lunch. You don't look like one to cook."  
  
"Was that an insult?" Anthony said sarcastically.  
  
"Oh no! I'm sorry, I just"  
  
"It was a joke, calm down." Anthony smirked "You take everything too seriously. Thanks for lunch"  
  
"Hmmm. Well, are you coming to the telling?" She asked, still rather peeved.  
  
"It's the only thing I do here. I wouldn't miss it for the world" he said, as he started in on his sandwich. "Mm, *gulp* this is great! My compliments!" He smiled.  
  
"Hehe, come on! We have guests and they want to meet you!"  
  
"Don't tell me, they want to see the idiot who, for the first time in recorded history, fell into the sphere pool. Great," he growled, "I'm an idiot whose only point in life is to amuse others. Just like home". He took a rough, tearing bite of his sandwich.  
  
"Don't be like that, they just want to meet a new friend. C'mon!" she walked outside.  
  
Anthony gave a grumble of resignation, and followed her.  
  
Rikku saw Yuna walk out of the new hut. "Yunie! Over here!" She smiled and waved at her. A boy about an inch taller than her walked out behind her. Hmm, interesting, she thought.  
  
"Hi Rikku! This is Anthony."  
  
"Yunie, oui luimt ryja lrucah y paddan napuiht kio." She said in al behd, "drah ykyeh, oui luimt'ja lrucah y funca uha" (Yunie, you could have chosen a better rebound guy. Then again, you could've chosen a worse one).  
  
"Rikku! Id'c hud mega dryd!!" (Rikku! It's not like that!!)  
  
"Uh, what are you saying?" Anthony asked, a surprised and questioning expression on his face.  
  
"Oh! Sorry! I'm"  
  
"Rikku, I've heard about you. I'm"  
  
"Anthony, Yuna just said so."  
  
He gave her a quizzical look," Okay, three questions. One, what was that, two, what did you say, and three, how do you and Yuna know it?"  
  
"One, that's Al Behd. Two, just girl talk. And three, It's my native language and Yuna picked it up on her pilgrimage. My turn."  
  
"You get three, I owe you three questions, so you get to take three questions."  
  
"Works for me! Ok, where are you from, why are you here, and why did Yunie come out of your hut?"  
  
Anthony snorted. He held up three fingers and started to fold them up as he answered each question. "One, I'm from Earth. Long story, so don't ask. Two, I have no idea why I'm here beyond the fact that Yuna, Wakka, and Lulu take pity on idiots like me. And Three, Yuna was brining me lunch and asking me to come to the telling of the story of the Eternal Calm. We're even now, right?"  
  
"Right," Rikku concurred.  
  
"Good, new question. Who's he?" Anthony said jerking his thumb towards a large, blue, cat-like creature behind Rikku.  
  
"Kimahri. You owe me now, you know." Rikku said in her high-pitched voice.  
  
"Perfect," he said with a smile, "now, shall we?" he said as he started to walk to Wakka and Lulu's hut.  
  
"Hey! Wait up!" Rikku shouted as she ran after him. Yuna, who had just been smiling through the whole conversation, giggled.  
  
"C'mon Kimahri." She said as she began a leisurely pace after them.  
  
  
  
Anthony leaned against the wall. It was a bit awkward, as he was the only adult listening to the story, and not telling it. Yuna, Wakka, Lulu, and Rikku were sitting in chairs and speaking to the entranced children. Kimahri had elected to stand, like Anthony.  
  
"So, there we were, standing in Sin, and there was Seymour ya! And he started in about how we should accept death an stuff, so we had to,"  
  
"Fight him, you know! He wasn't just stopping us from continuing, he was stopping us from defeating,"  
  
"Sin. Yuna summoned Anima, the Aeon from his own mothers Fayth. I found it a bit ironic. It really was rather sad, looking back."  
  
"We didn't want to kill anyone, but he wasn't a person anymore. He was a fiend, so we did what we had to. It was my duty as a summoner to send him. We did what we had to do,"  
  
Suddenly a woman, Anthony saw from her clothes she was a nun from the temple, burst in. "Milady Yuna! The Fayth! It, It," She chocked, still in shock.  
  
"What is it? What has happened to the fayth?"  
  
"It has revived! It's singing!" she finally gasped out.  
  
  
  
A.N.Hi there! This is the third chappy! I hope you like it. It took a little longer for three reasons. 1. Finals week. 2.Computer trouble. 3. It's a bit longer than previous chapters. Now for the questions. Only rock-star-vt asked any, so of course, only he will be answered.  
  
It will be a Tidus/Yuna, but it will take a while. He IS dead ya know.  
  
Auron will make a few cameos, but he's dead and happy about it. So, no coming back.  
  
Cheddar milkshakes? What was I smoking!? It was a rant I wrote in the summary when I thought no one was reading, and it caused more people to read. Weird how that works, huh?  
  
Trashalanach!  
  
~Target~ 


	5. Vnot Al Giarg Ir Nyhy? What Is Going On ...

Disclaimer, n. 1. To deny or repudiating or denying of a claim; disavow. 2. A statement to save ones own ass. I don't own Final Fantasy X, or Dogma, from which I took the above idea. Oh well, ONWARD!!  
  
Reluctant Visitor  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Vnot Al Giarg Ir Nyhy?  
  
(What Is Going On Here?)  
  
They all ran towards the temple. Anthony was stumbling and almost tripping on the children that followed them all. They thought it was a game. Anthony couldn't help but smile at their laughter. He also couldn't help but swear as he tripped on the steps to the temple while he was staring at the children. He sprang up quickly and began to follow the others inside the round stone building.  
  
Anthony sprinted up the stairs and into the small hallways of the trials. He then stopped suddenly. The hallway ended with only a small, circular hole. He swore, and turned around. He reached the staircase again within seconds. He swore, louder and more. potently. He turned again, and when he reached the wall, he shouted the worst word that came to mind.  
  
Yuna heard a loud shout from the chambers above. She couldn't understand the words, but judging by the tone, that was a blessing.  
  
"Wakka, would you- -?"  
  
"Three steps ahead of ya!" He shouted, already on the elevator going up.  
  
Anthony stood in the middle of the hall, swearing at the fact that he couldn't find THE FRIGGIN' DOOR! The swearing started again. He kicked the wall.  
  
"Hey brudda, what are ya just standin' around for?" Wakka said as the wall rose in the middle of the hall.  
  
"Where the HELL WERE YOU!?!?" Anthony shouted.  
  
"Never mind dat. Just come on, Yuna's waiting for us."  
  
Anthony started to yell, but Wakka was already leaving, so he simply ran onto the elevator with him.  
  
Yuna saw heard the elevator rather than saw it, but started to open the Fayth's chambers anyway. As it opened, the hymn that had been present since she had entered the chambers. But the voice was new. This wasn't the voice that had been there when she had come here before. This was a man's voice, deeper and gruffer. It sounded extremely familiar, but Yuna couldn't, no, impossible. Never could happen.  
  
Anthony couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was a statue, colorful and almost glowing with a gentle light. It had the soft shape of a bird, or was it a woman? His vision was slightly obstructed by the rose colored glass that coated the statue in a circle. He stood in wonder.  
  
Yuna kneeled and began to pray. It seemed familiar, nostalgic. She smiled, as her wrists crossed above her head. They came down into that same position, right hand above, left bellow, as if holding a blitzball. She bowed her head and held it there. When she sat up, she began again.  
  
Anthony was still in awe at the statue. He hadn't even realized he had approached the statue. He walked even farther, until he actually was upon the Fayth. He kneeled to see better, leaning on his arm. The glass was warm. It seemed alive.  
  
Suddenly, a shock ran up his arm, to his spine and seemed to pop in his forehead. He felt as though the world stopped. His skull felt like it was bound tightly with invisible ropes. He reached up and grabbed his forehead with his left hand.  
  
'Hello?' a man's voice, echoing, where did it come from? 'Did it work? Can you hear me?'  
  
What the hell? Who is that? Anthony though.  
  
'It worked! Who is this, Wakka, or maybe Kimahri? Is it one of you?' The voice asked.  
  
'What, no, this is Anthony, whom do I have the pleasure of speaking with?' even mentally, Anthony's voice dripped with sarcasm and obvious distrust for whoever this mental invader was.  
  
'Damn! Is Yu-Lady Yuna around, Anthony? Was it? I need to talk to her, fast.' The voice was urgent, pleading.  
  
'Hold on, she's right there but--'  
  
'I need to talk to her! Let me--'  
  
"Shut up for a second!" Anthony said aloud. The others stared at him, but he wasn't even looking at them. 'How can you talk to them? For all I know, I've just gone crazy due to stress and developed a second personality. There's no way I'm letting them know I'm nuts.'  
  
'Listen, just let me use your body; it's just like watching a sphere, but only using your own eyes. You can even interrupt if you want to, just please, let me speak.'  
  
'So, I just. What do I do exactly?'  
  
'Just relax. It won't hurt you, so just be calm.'  
  
'I'm always calm. Hold on, before I let you do this, what's your name?'  
  
'My name is Tidus.'  
  
'The legendary guardian guy?' Anthony finished. 'All right. You're on man.'  
  
Yuna stared at Anthony. He was kneeling on the Fayth, mouthing words. His head was down so she only saw the top of his head. His head slowly rose up.  
  
"Yuna". The voice that came from his throat was different. It was a bit higher than usual, but it still felt deep and troubled. Like he was talking to someone who he hadn't spoken to in years.  
  
"Anthony? Are you okay? Maybe you should go outside again."  
  
" He's not here right now. Yuna, listen to me carefully. Go to Bevelle. Please, just go there and look for the Path of the Dead. Please." He was pleading. He seemed on the edge of tears.  
  
"Anthony, you're really starting to scare me. What are you talking about?"  
  
"Yuna, you can't tell? Anthony isn't here right now."  
  
"Hey man, that was creepy, cut down on that stuff," Anthony's voice was normal, and his head was pointing a bit to the left, staring at something not there.  
  
"Sorry, got a bit carried away. Won't happen again, promise," The other voice, Yuna had started to think of it as another person, or at least persona. He looked in the opposite direction, just slightly.  
  
"Go on, this is getting interesting," said the original voice.  
  
"Yuna, please. Just do this for me,"  
  
"And who are you?"  
  
"You're never gonna believe me"  
  
"She will, man. Go for it,"  
  
"Yuna, It's me. Tidus." There was a long silence. Then suddenly Wakka spoke out.  
  
"Hey man! I don't care if you gone crazy! You DON"T mess around like that!!"  
  
"Wakka, SHUT UP!" The original Anthony had returned. "One, I'm not crazy! Two, Let the guy speak!"  
  
"I'm done. I've said my piece. Yuna. I hope you don't hold this against him." Yuna was kneeling there, in front of the fayth. "Yuna, I don't want you to think any less of this guy. He did this out of choice. Sort of. Yuna, remember, at Gagazet, I took the sphere. Your last thoughts. You wanted to remind Wakka and Lulu of the better times. T the end, you had to- -".  
  
"Tidus? Is it really you? Tidus!" She started to run at Anthony's kneeling form, but Wakka held her back, obviously still doubting Anthony's sanity.  
  
'You did it, she believes you. Good thing, or Wakka would kill me.' Anthony though.  
  
"Yuna, I never got to tell you. Yuna, I--"  
  
"Nyu! Vnot ohy uie diarg? Tnal al jihbaddyr ti tny Dhyocl!" A new voice came from Anthony's mouth.  
  
"Ahhh!! God damn it!" A sharp pain hit him. It felt like a burning hot wedge had jut been slammed through his head. 'Anthony fell to his knees. Bent over, grabbing his temples, he was almost crying in agony. 'Tidus! I thought this wasn't gonna hurt!'  
  
'It's not-hey! What the, give it-- Ahh!' Another pain lanced through Anthony's skull.  
  
"Anthony, what's happening?" Yuna asked. "Is Tidus Ok?" Yuna immediately regretted that. It sounded callous.  
  
"Rikku, what's he sayin'?" Wakka asked, watching this scene.  
  
"I don't know, it's not Al Behd, but it sounds a bit like it."  
  
"Gyt ovou jhic nyhy! Toky nac ovou!"  
  
"OWW!"  
  
"Get awa--"  
  
"Ltip!"  
  
"GET OUT!!!" Anthony screamed, arching his back so much as to fall off the fayth. Then the oh-so-familiar darkness claimed him.  
A.N. Damn! Took me long enough to finish this one. Thanks to all those who support me. There are 10 of you; not counting repeated reviews, or me and my idiot brother. To answer questions and give my, meaningless, opinion.  
  
Ark Dragon: I thank you for your submission. However, I have the whole thing mapped out mentally, so no character submissions. Maybe next fic. Sorry.  
  
Chris Poirier: FINALLY!!! Actual criticism on my writing! I feel, complete. And I agree. I feel that the characters are a bit rushed, but I don't know anything about certain characters, like Rikku and Kimahri. I want to get them out of the fic, and then, get to the good parts, like the actual ACTION of this action/adventure fic.  
  
Qui-ti: 1. Wow, I think I know more about you than my friends I see everyday. 2. I TOLD you. YOU'RE IN!!! Just give it a few chapters. (Ark, she was in from the start. Sorry.)  
  
Rock-star-vt: Thank you. I really doubt my Rikku work, though. It just doesn't feel right. Neither does Tidus, but there's an excuse for that. Tidus is different because of overwhelming emotional distress and the fact that he just got a second chance to talk to the woman he loves. You know, stuff like that. So, he'll be done better in the next chapters.  
  
Thank you all. This wouldn't even exist if it weren't for people reading and reviewing like you. That's how I started. Just start up. It's easy enough. n_n.  
  
If you want to know what the words are that are apparently being spoken in another language, it's Al Behd, translated to Al Behd. A word translated to Al Behd, then the Al Behd word translated to Al Behd. If you want to know what it says, get out that trusty Al Behd translator, and translate the words from Al Behd to English, then the same thing again.  
  
Oh, and please, some one tell me a good sub-genre, there isn't much action yet.  
  
Trashalanach!  
  
~Target~ 


	6. Just Your Average Spiran Day Kinda

Declaimer: hey, there's no way the Squaresoft people can trace me, so why use a disclaimer? Never again! HAHAHAHA *lawyers come and beat him with sticks* OW!!! OW!!! STOP!!! STOP IT!!!!!!!!!! FINE! I don't own FFX! HAPPY!?!?!?!?!? *they leave* Ow. That hurt.  
  
Reluctant Visitor  
  
Chapter 5  
  
Your Average Spiran Day..Kinda.  
  
Anthony slowly opened his eyes. "Oh man. again? Why a new place EVERY time?" His right hand came up over his eyes. He was in a circular room. All along the walls were items, either framed or simply hung. A picture here, a sword there, and a large piece of Besaid wood carved into a crest resembling a large J, or maybe a cursive T? Whatever it was, it was well carved.  
  
"You up brudda?" Wakka's voice came from behind him. Anthony turned his head. Wakka was standing in the doorframe, with a blitzball under his arm.  
  
Anthony wiped his face. "Yeah, I'm up. I think. Ugh. What happened? Last I remember, someone started yelling through my mouth without my permission, and I passed out. And where is this place?"  
  
"You're in Tidus' memorial. It's actually a side room of the temple. This is all the stuff we though represented him, or reminded us of him. You better stay here for awhile."  
  
"Why? I don't think I need to.oh. You still think I'm a bit nuts?"  
  
"Uh, no man, It's just.ya, I do."  
  
"Good, I'm not sure if I'm a hundred percent sane either. Maybe you're right about staying here." Anthony turned, letting his feet off the side of the cot he was on. He stood up and started to examine some of the items. Anthony was particularly drawn to a sword. It was a blade that seemed like liquid, it seemed to almost call out to him. He was about to reach out and touch the hilt when.  
  
"Hey! Don't touch dat. That was his favorite sword. I gave it to him."  
  
"What's it called?"  
  
"Brotherhood," Wakka replied. "It was my brother's, and I gave it to Tidus after Chappu.well, ya know."  
  
"Gottcha, no touching." He withdrew his hand and wandered around, examining a few other things. His mind, however, was still on the sword. ~Farplane~  
  
Tidus was still angry. It had been about a day, but he was still mad at the guards. The faith was only supposed to be used in an emergency of epic proportions, like the world crumbling, but this was important. He'd had a chance. A chance to tell her. And he missed it.  
  
"DAMMIT!" he shouted. He punched a wall next to him; he sat down, rubbing his knuckles.  
  
"Upset?" The voice startled him. Auron was standing above him. His appearance still startled Tidus, as it wasn't the Auron he was used to seeing. Auron had returned to his more youthful self, the Auron who went on Braska's pilgrimage.  
  
"You could say that."  
  
"You will get your chance. Be patient."  
  
"WHEN will I get that chance Auron? Yuna might come to the Farplane herself before I can tell her."  
  
"It will come much sooner. You told them about the Path of the Dead?"  
  
"Yeah. But the guy I spoke through, he seemed to be new; they seem to already doubt him. I didn't help to make him seem like the sanest guy around. They may not believe him." He turned to the right, so as to rest his back against the wall he had hit. "I still can't believe I never got to tell her." He leaned his head back.  
  
"You were preoccupied; you -were- disappearing, if I saw correctly."  
  
"You weren't there." Tidus said a bit angrily. "How would you know?"  
  
"I could watch you. I was determined to see how your story would end that chapter; I have been following it for awhile now, haven't I?" Auron smiled.  
  
"Hmm. I still could've said it."  
  
"Don't dwell in the past. Prepare for the future. There is still a chance. The new one, I've watched him. He will do well as a guardian. Help him prepare,"  
  
"What? How? I can't go and give him step-by-step instructions. And I can't even talk to him anymore, they sealed off the Fayth."  
  
"I will tell you how." and he did.  
  
~Spira~  
  
Anthony lay back. He was getting bored of this room because he had been here for four hours. But, he had managed to prove, in Wakka's estimation, that he was sane.  
  
"Man, I'm so goddam bored!" Anthony started to hop in place, to get rid of pent up energy.  
  
"Well, you know.I do need to go practice--" Wakka started.  
  
"So I can leave?"  
  
"Well, yeah, but the way I seen you move, maybe you could learn to blitz, ya?"  
  
"Uh huh, I don't know if you noticed in Luca, but I can't exactly hold my breath that long." Anthony said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.  
  
"Well, knowing Rikku, she'll have a machina solution. She did mention something that she had with her earlier, while you were sleeping, maybe that'll do trick, ya?"  
  
"Well, sure why the hell not? Let's go," Anthony ran past Wakka, out to the center of the town.  
  
"HEY!! SLOW DOWN WILL YA?" Wakka said, running to keep up.  
  
Rikku was in her hut, the one she stayed in when she was visiting Besaid. She had heard Wakka shout and had crawled out from the machina she was preparing for the temple. She saw the new guy, and thought, 'What was his name again? Anthony! That's it.Anthony. Weird name'. He ran in the hut, and Wakka hit him from behind, throwing him a foot forward.  
  
"Hey! Watch it!"  
  
"Maybe that'll teach you to slow down, ya?!" Wakka shouted back in a slightly mad tone.  
  
"Um, hi. Why are you, you know, in my hut?" Rikku asked innocently. They both stared like they just realized she was there.  
  
"Oh, I was gonna teach him ta Blitz, ya? Only problem is--"  
  
"The whole breathing underwater thing" Anthony interrupted, stepping forward. "Oh, and we're even now, you asked why we were in your hut". Anthony said with a triumphant smirk.  
  
"Hmm, well, I think I have something, wait. Ah! Here." She handed Anthony an object that looked like half a steel retainer. "Put it on your back teeth."  
  
"You ever used one of these things?" Anthony asked staring at the object dubiously.  
  
"Once, a prototype of this one," Rikku responded.  
  
"How'd that go?"  
  
"Passed out, and had a bleeding hole in my mouth for a week," Rikku said, rather casually.  
  
"Just checking," Anthony said. He stuck it on his top molars. "Its not so.AH!!!!!" Anthony grabbed at his jaw. He felt a piece of metal slide back in his throat, slicing his soft pallet as it did. Anthony proceeded to scream what Wakka and Rikku took to be curses, but couldn't be sure, as Anthony never closed his mouth, and therefore, the words were slurred. Anthony felt a small piece of metal slide to the back of his throat and move in behind his nose cavity.  
  
Wakka, who had hopped back when Anthony had begun to scream, was wide eyed in shock. By now, Anthony was on his knees spitting blood. Rikku handed the bleeding man a glass of water.  
  
"Wash out your mouth, It'll help." Anthony then did just that. He managed his best glare at Rikku.  
  
"Yoo couda waned meh." Anthony half mumbled. He closed his mouth, feeling the metallic tasting blood run down his throat. "Then I would have expected a GOD DAMN PIPE SHOVED DOWN MY THROAT!!!!!!!!!!!!." He screamed, spit and blood flying.  
  
"Sorry. But it won't do that again, it has the measurements stored. You can breathe underwater now."  
  
"I would hope so. Hate to think I went through having my mouth put through a cheese grater for nothing."  
  
Rikku laughed as bit lightly. a little afraid of Anthony's reaction.  
  
Wakka broke the uncomfortable silence that followed. "Hey, we gonna blitz or not?"  
  
"Yeah, let's go," Anthony replied, giving a fake death glare at Rikku, and then smiling and winking at the nearly crying-in-fright Al Bhed girl.  
  
Anthony and Wakka left the hut, and wandered to the large lake near the beach where they dove in to the cool, crisp water. Anthony, while expecting it, was shocked to find that he could breathe underwater as easy, if not easier than he had been doing not fifteen seconds ago on land. His eye caught some movement in the water, and he turned to see Wakka waving at him, and led him to a large, deep pool as large, if not larger, than the sphere pool in Luca, with rough goals at two ends.  
  
Anthony and Wakka started to practice. Anthony had picked up the rules on the walk over to the lake, and he got started with the basics, like movement and basic passing. After around an hour, Wakka signaled him to the surface, when his head his head broke the surface, Anthony turned to speak to him.  
  
"So? How am I doing?"  
  
"Ya doin' great. I would say you'd make a good midfielder. You tend ta use your arms more than kick, most other players are the reverse, kicking often, only throwing for a pass. You throw constantly, make you a good passer, and a mid fielder does that most of the time, ya?"  
  
"I guess so, anything I should work on?"  
  
"Ya, accuracy would be nice!" Wakka shouted, rubbing his forehead where one of Anthony's rouge passes had come into contact with him.  
  
"Heh, oops. Sorry about that." Anthony said, scratching the back of his head.  
  
"Well, let's work on that now." Wakka said, right before diving under the water again.  
  
They practiced for a few hours, until the sun dipped beneath the sheltering rocks of the cliff. They climbed out of the pool, and had started to walk back to the village, dripping with water, when a rather large and hard to miss observation hit Anthony like a bolt of lightning.  
  
"Hey Wakka, where's Yuna?"  
  
"Oh. I was kinda hopin' ta distract ya. She's in her hut, in shock. She's thinking over the.Incident" Wakka said nervously.  
  
'Great, "The Incident", now it's got a name besides "Dead guy using my body to talk to his girlfriend". It is catchier though.' Anthony thought. He rubbed his forehead in exasperation. "I didn't do anything wrong.did I?"  
  
"No brudda, it wasn't you; she's just thinking this over, trying to make sense of it. She'll be fine in a couple' a days, ya?" Wakka said, though a bit to quickly for Anthony to believe him one hundred percent. By this time they had reached the village.  
  
"Later Wakka. Practice again tomorrow?"  
  
"Sure brudda. See ya then."  
  
Anthony walked into his hut, sat with his feet over the edge, and fell back, asleep before his head hit the pillow.  
  
~Farplane~  
  
Tidus stood at the edge of a cliff. The cliff was the Eye, it allowed the dead to watch the living. A lone pyrefly circled him, moaning its mournful song. He held his right hand out, palm up, and the pyrefly landed on it, seeming to await something. Its song even changed, to a higher tone, almost questioningly.  
  
'Auron, this better work' Tidus thought. He concentrated on the small round creature in his hand. It started to change, warp colors, and then, shine brighter than the others, the tail turning a pure sea blue. It started to float away, towards the part of the eye that was focusing on Besaid Island, passed through the invisible barrier that prevented the dead from returning, and was gone.  
  
~?~  
  
Anthony was sitting in a pure white room, not a door, not a window, just white, illuminated by an unknown source so bright he had to squint.  
  
Then the room was gone, Anthony was sitting in air, above a street. A simple street with restaurants, shops, and planter with simple trees and bushes.  
  
Would have been a great place if not for the destruction.  
  
The street was littered with upturned cars, uprooted plants, clothing, and bodies. The sight made Anthony almost physically sick. The worst part was, he knew this place, he had been there only a few weeks before.  
  
'My god, was it only that long?' he thought. The whole place was dripping with water. This didn't quite click until he saw the sidewalk café that he realized it. "Oh God, this is home. This is what happened after I left!" He balled his right hand into a fist and covered it with his left. He bit the knuckle of his index finger to keep from screaming. He tried to move, but couldn't. He looked straight beneath him. He saw her. She was lying like a rag doll beneath him.  
  
He was in such shock he couldn't even bring himself to say her name. He was about to puke, when he saw her move. It wasn't more than a twitch, but she moved. He chocked on air. He wanted to reach out and help her more than life itself, but couldn't. He saw her, she was dying before him. This was what hell truly is. He screamed with such force his throat burned. He wanted to hurt something. He couldn't move from the spot he sat in, however, so he did the next best thing.  
  
He punched himself in the leg.  
  
~Spira~  
  
Anthony awoke in a cold sweat. He was panting, sweating and his eyes were clouded with sleep. What he saw through the blurs was a sight however.  
  
A small glowing ball with a blue tail was floating above his head, all the while singing a mournful tune. Anthony sat up, then hopped out of his bed, and faced the odd little thing.  
  
"Well hello. What might you be?"  
  
The pyrefly started to fly around him in slow, steady circles. It hummed and Anthony laughed. It just seemed to give off a familiar feel. Like a friend who hasn't been over for a long time. He smiled at the odd little ball of light.  
  
Then the pace it circled him increased. It moved faster, up this arm, down the body, to that leg, until it nearly seemed to cover his body in its light. The whole time, it felt as though his body was being bathed in warm light. Then, the pyrefly's tail started to shift colors, until it was a pearl white, and then a silver color, and finally, like a soap bubble, changing colors depending on the angle.  
  
"Whoa! That was weird. But a good weird", Anthony said to no one in particular. He felt a bit weird, sort of light headed. Then the circling pyrefly slowed down, circling his left arm. It then stopped on his forearm, until it started to slowly circle his wrist.  
  
"Hey there. What are you up to?" It started to move a little faster, and its color started to shift again. He looked at it, and saw it disappear in a flash, leaving nothing but a silver bracelet, actually, a bracer, covering half of his left forearm. It was engraved with a silver bird of prey, wings out stretched. It was imbedded with blue jewels, and seemed to radiate the same feeling that the pyrefly itself had given off.  
  
Anthony was quite shocked, and began to talk to himself.  
  
"Ok.that was interesting.Is it normal in Spira for little creatures to turn into jewelry? Wait, maybe I'm still dreaming.either way, I'm going back to bed." He said. This was normal. When he was nervous or just bored, he rambled on, and usually ended up going to sleep. He lay back, and the dreams, even the nightmares, were welcome to take the driver seat in his mind.  
  
~?~  
  
"Anthony. Get up. Come on, get up. ANTHONY!" a voice shouted at him.  
  
He stood straight up, and saw a man with a tan complexion, blonde hair, blue eyes, and a yellow and black blitz uniform.  
  
"Hey, you're Tidus. What the hell are you doing here?"  
  
"Good, you're up. I want to ask you something."  
  
"Sure, shoot."  
  
"Protect Yuna."  
  
"Easy enough--"  
  
"No, I mean PROTECT her. With every fiber of your being. Don't let her even get a scratch." Tidus stated with obvious urgency.  
  
"Okay! Damn. Calm down. Wait.Why does she need protecting?"  
  
"Just, do this. Please."  
  
"Alright. I promise."  
  
"Thank you. Don't forget that promise, or I'll find you. Dead or alive, I'll either hunt you or haunt you."  
  
"Got it." Anthony gave a mock salute. "Can I sleep normally now?"  
  
"Sure. Good night" and he faded, leaving Anthony to drift to sleep.  
  
A.N. Well, this one took a while. Sorry about that. I'll try to get the next one up faster. Well, in response to you reviewers:  
  
Qui-ti, (who I'm chatting with as I write this): well, thanks for the insane amount of encouragement. I owe some of the inspiration to you.  
  
Ish-bob: I was wondering when you'd join in. And yes, I knew you could get drunk off of Chinese food. I've done that more times than I can count.  
  
Zell-Fire: Thank you. And yes, Tidus is dead. He was touched by Sin and became REAL, well, real enough.  
  
Evil Neko: Wow, coming from you this is great. I've been a fan of your fic for awhile. this is so.moving *sniff* thank you.  
  
No One: thank you. Every one should thank you. This guy beta-ed this chapter twice. He is a god of fan fics and should be worshipped as such. Oh and I will shamelessly plug his fic now.  
  
Akin To Sin A strange man literally falls into Spira. A brooding power struggle slowly escalates into war. Is this the end of Yuna's Eternal Calm?  
  
This fic is godly. READ IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Well, if I forgot you, scream at me in a review.  
  
Trashalanach!  
  
~Target~ 


	7. Bladed Friendship

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Absolutely nothing. I'm typing this at a public terminal wearing only a paper bag as pants. It's not even my paper bag. I lease it by the month.  
  
Chapter 6  
  
Bladed Friendship  
  
Anthony woke up and fell into his new daily routine for Spira. He woke up, bathed, got dressed, ate breakfast, and played Blitzball with Wakka. He was getting better at the water sport, and looked forward to it more than anything else in Spira.  
  
He walked out of his diminutive hut and saw Yuna walking by. He smiled and waved a small wave. She didn't notice him, her head forward and up, deep in thought. She was still a bit confused over the "Incident", as it was being called. He gave an inner smirk.  
  
"YUNA!"  
  
"Oh? Hi Anthony. I'm sorry, I was--"  
  
"Distracted. I figured. Yuna, I know you're confused about this. Everyone is, especially me," Anthony said. "Just relax for a bit, and then when you're feeling better, try to take this on."  
  
"Anthony, it's not that, its--"  
  
"Yuna, after taking Final Exams for a good six years of my life, I know stress. You need to rest, have fun, just do something."  
  
"I really need to do some thinking. Thank you though."  
  
Anthony gave a fake but convincing glare. "You will rest.or I'll have Lulu zap you, and force you to." The look on his face told Yuna he would probably follow through with his promise.  
  
"You would not." Yuna said though her voice wavered a bit.  
  
Anthony had a smirk that was more suited to an old gangster movie than to a man trying to convince a friend to have fun. "You'd think that. wouldn't you?" he said in a low voice that almost seemed menacing.  
  
"Anthony? You're acting odd. Are you all right?"  
  
'I always get through depression through false cheer and sarcasm' Anthony thought. He had been feeling the familiar feelings of depression for awhile now, ever since his dream. He felt inadequate. His friends and family were probably killing themselves with worry, and he was hanging out with new friends on an island that made Hawaii look like a polluted ghetto. He couldn't help it; there was nothing else he could do. That didn't mean he enjoyed it. It didn't mean he had to like it. But Yuna and the others were depressed enough. No reason to bring them down any deeper, was there?  
  
"I'm fine. C'mon. Lets do something fun." Anthony said.  
  
"I really think I should just stay and--"  
  
Anthony took this opportunity to place his hand over her mouth.  
  
"It's not nice to lie. Just relax. Please. I really do not want to get Lulu involved. Something tells me it would involve yelling, slapping, and a lot of lightning."  
  
Anthony removed his hand smiled and looked at her with questioning eyes. Yuna smiled the small, warm smile that had warmed many a heart on her pilgrimage. Anthony waved her to the path out of the village with his left arm. "C'mon."  
  
"Anthony, what's that?" Yuna asked pointing at his extended arm.  
  
Anthony simply smiled and started to walk away. That was the third time she'd asked him about his new bracer. The others had asked as well, but, as with Yuna, he'd simply smiled and walked away. It wasn't like he could just tell them, nor could he tell them that Tidus had been coming to his dreams nightly, training him to be a guardian. He would teach him the basics of fighting, and some Spiran culture to prepare him for. for something. Whenever Anthony asked Tidus why there was a need, he changed the subject.  
  
'Sounds familiar' Anthony thought.  
  
"Hey!" a high pitched voice shouted behind Anthony and Yuna. They both turned to see Rikku and Lulu walking towards them, Rikku her normal excited self, and Lulu wearing her usual smirk.  
  
Anthony turned on his heel and walked towards them. His grin grew a bit wider. He stopped about a foot away from them.  
  
"Rikku! Hi! Anthony said with a smirk. "Lulu, we were just talking about you".  
  
"Really now? Just what were you talking about?" Lulu asked suspiciously.  
  
Anthony's smile faded a bit. "Nothing specifically. So, what brings you here?"  
  
"Nothing, just wanted to know where you were going," Rikku responded with an arched eyebrow.  
  
"Um...Anthony didn't say where he was going to go, and he just talked me into coming with him. Anthony, where were you going to go?"  
  
"Uh.um.gimme a sec.." He said with a joking grin, even though he honestly had forgotten where he had been going.  
  
"HEY!" a shout came from the path. Wakka was running towards them.  
  
"Oh, yeah. I was gonna practice blitzing with Wakka," Anthony said in a humorous tone to attempt to run with his 'joke'.  
  
"Hey! Can we come?" Rikku said bouncing on her heels with excitement.  
  
"You blitz?" Anthony asked, a bit shocked, but he wasn't sure why.  
  
"Of course! I train with the Psyches."  
  
"The who now?" Anthony asked with his head tilted.  
  
"The Al Bhed team, the Psyches. I help them train back at Home."  
  
"Ah. Sure, why not? I'm getting tired of just practicing with Wakka. He's so damn slow." Anthony said, and he shoved Wakka with his shoulder. Wakka returned the favor, and then some, nearly knocking Anthony into Rikku.  
  
"What was that? You want a piece?" Anthony said laughing. In return Wakka gave him a look that would have suggested his idea of a good time would be to tear Anthony's face off. Anthony would be scared if the look hadn't shared his face with a large toothy grin.  
  
"Um, boys? We kinda want to blitz, not drag bodies back to the temple for Yunie and the nuns to heal you." Rikku said bouncing merrily on her heels.  
  
"Fine. I'll let him off," Anthony said, "with a warning."  
  
Wakka opened his mouth to say something, but Yuna cut him off. "Great. Let's go."  
  
"Ya, lets get going then. C'mon brudda, or you afraid 'a losin'?" Wakka challenged.  
  
"You don't give up do you?" Anthony said, standing straight up, hand massaging his temples. Then he suddenly broke into a sprint towards the lake. "Well neither do I!" the dark haired man shouted over his shoulder.  
  
"HEY!!! I'll catch you, ya?" Wakka shouted, following Anthony at a similar pace.  
  
Lulu gave an exasperated sigh. "They're like children. You better follow them, or one of them will challenge the other to a death match to go two out of three"  
  
Rikku laughed, and Yuna smiled lightly. They both followed them at a slightly slower speed, while Lulu simply walked, struggling to suppress a smile.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Somewhere hidden in the Besaid ruins, it waited.  
  
It simply waited, crouched in the shadows. It did not take its eyes off the path.  
  
It did not think. Its mind was not complex enough for what is considered conscious thought, but urges, senses, and instinct. All were present, and all were working like a computer. Any thing moved, made a sound, or simply existed, it was aware, and either disregarded it or stored it away until it was useful.  
  
There! A sound. Two. Humans, slightly larger than average, male. The being's senses all focused on them. It received countless bits of data on them. From what they had for dinner, and everything they hade done for the last 6 hours. It could tell how large they were just by the sound of their heartbeats.  
  
Then, new sensations. Two more, Female, smaller than the others, and one of them... One had the scent.  
  
The thing did not know what the scent was, but it knew that it was there. It knew the scent since. it could not begin to figure out how it had come to know the scent or even comprehend what the importance of the scent was. All it knew was that it had to find the one with the scent.  
  
And kill it.  
  
Not yet. Its instincts warned it. The time was not right. It had friends near by. It was energetic, its adrenaline pumping. It would be too dangerous now. Later. It would get it later.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Anthony and Wakka arrived within seconds of each other at the lake. Both were somewhat out of breath, and both were arguing over who had won. Rikku and Yuna were only a few moments behind them and both just laughed at the two.  
  
"Where's Lu?" Wakka asked, slightly tilting his head to the side.  
  
"She'll be here. She can't run, so just wait," Yuna replied, still smiling.  
  
A few moments later, she emerged at the front of the path. Wakka walked out to meet her, saying, "There ya are. I was getting worried. Like maybe a fiend nabbed ya or somethin',"  
  
Lulu looked like she was about to say something, but the look in her husbands eyes silenced her. The married couple held each others arms and just smiled at each other.  
  
Anthony looked at them with an arched eyebrow.  
  
"Are they always like this?" Anthony asked Yuna.  
  
Yuna gave a small laugh, "No, sometimes they're really bad."  
  
"I figured as much," Anthony said, reaching down for the Blitzball Wakka had brought. He picked it up, stretched back, and threw it straight at Wakka's head. It hit, knocking him sideways, the ball flying up and coming back down on his head, and finally resting near his foot.  
  
Wakka stood up, picking up the Blitzball from the ground. "HEY! What gives?"  
  
"You two are married. Stop being so damn loving. You should be arguing and at each others throats by now. And besides, we came here to blitz. Let's go already." Anthony said.  
  
"Fine, ya impatient son of a shoo--"  
  
"Wakka, just go. It's ok." Lulu said calmingly.  
  
"Fine. But you ain't getting off that easy, ya?" he said, pointing at the smaller man as he said the last part.  
  
"Great, peachy-keen, whatever, just GO!" Anthony said, aggravated.  
  
Wakka smiled, and then broke into a run, straight towards the shorter man. Anthony braced for a tackle, a punch, anything, but Wakka simply ran past him. He dove into the water, a perfect swan dive.  
  
Rikku, not wanting to be left out, followed with an elaborate and delicate spinning dive, slipping into the water, barely leaving a ripple.  
  
Anthony gave a snarling grin. He then turned to Yuna, offering silently with his hands that she go first. She simply smiled and shook her head a bit. He shrugged, then dove, doing one flip, a spin, and then with a bit of effort, managed a second flip before he entered the water.  
  
Yuna looked a bit uneasy. It was obvious she wanted to join in on the fun, but part of her knew better than to do what she wanted to do.  
  
Lulu caught her eye, smiled, and said, "Go ahead. Show them."  
  
Yuna smiled, then, with a short run, she leaped over the edge. She twisted, spinning, flipping in a complicated routine that no one could hope to even remember, much less replicate. Then.  
  
"She's too shallow, she's gonna hurt herself!" Anthony said, worry for his friend obvious in his voice. "Hey, you gonna help her?" Anthony near- shouted, his head bobbing next to Rikku's and Wakka's.  
  
"She'll be fine, ya? Just watch," Wakka said, much too calm for Anthony to be comfortable with.  
  
Yuna completed the maneuver, and rolled forward on the surface of the water. She flipped up, and stood on her toes, in front of the bobbing heads. She bowed her head, and then smiled at them.  
  
Anthony stared, and then turned to the others, mouth slightly agape. "Is that cheating?"  
  
Rikku smiled and shook her head slightly "Nope."  
  
"Then she wins." Anthony said, pointing at the summoner.  
  
Then, his other hand, reached out of the water and grabbed her foot, and pulled a shocked Yuna into the water, her head level with his and the others' bobbing heads. He then grinned and swam away as fast as he could. Yuna gave a look of mock anger, Wakka laughed, and Rikku began to chase Anthony.  
  
Above, on the ledge Lulu smiled, watching them. She muttered, "They're all acting like children."  
  
~Ten minuets and one mild smacking around later~  
  
The Blitzball game was under way. They had decided that the teams were going to be Yuna and Wakka against Anthony and Rikku. Wakka and Yuna were up three points, but Anthony and Rikku were wearing them down. Granted, it was a very slow wearing down, but it was something.  
  
Anthony was out front with Rikku playing defense/goal tender, Yuna and Wakka were charging, leaving no one at the goal, but keeping both players very busy. One of the reasons that Anthony and Rikku were working harder than their counter parts was Anthony's reluctance to tackle Yuna. He didn't think she was weak, he wasn't afraid she would get hurt or anything that chauvinistic, but when ever he got close enough to tackle her, a flash of a manga usually involving a man with glasses tripping, or being pushed into a girl with long blond hair, his hands ending up in the wrong place and being launched into the upper atmosphere (A.N. A Love Hina reference for you who have not read the manga or seen the anime [which you should]) came to mind, and he would slow down, and simply block, not tackle. This got Rikku mad at Anthony, and their team started to fall behind. Anthony finally decided he would simply tackle Wakka, and leave Yuna for Rikku, which worked out better, but not perfectly. Yuna was much better than Anthony would have thought, and she scored quite a few goals.  
  
Eventually Yuna and Wakka won, which left Anthony to be mocked mercilessly by Wakka and for Rikku to yell at him for not doing his job. Yuna and Lulu sat on the ledge, watching and laughing.  
  
They walked back to the village as the sun began to dip a bit beneath the hills. The mood was cheerful. Everyone was talking and laughing. Anthony had begun to wander out to the front of the group. He spun on his heel and began walking backwards, grinning. It was a good feeling. He then spun back around and did something he had been doing since he was six years old.  
  
He whistled.  
  
He didn't really think about it, he just whistled the first song that came in his head. The song didn't even sound right for what was going on, it was a slower, calming tune, but he didn't care. He placed his hands behind his head, and leaned back a bit. He turned his head slightly to the side, only to see his friends behind him, stopped in the middle of the path.  
  
"What?" he asked.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Yuna was laughing, chatting having fun. It was the first time she had had fun in awhile. 'Three months, two weeks, five days', she thought. That one thought could have ruined it, could have pushed her deeper into her depression, if it had the chance. Right as she thought that, she heard something.  
  
At first she thought it was a bird, singing nearby. But it couldn't be a bird. It was too, accurate, deliberate to be a bird. She looked ahead and saw Anthony leaning back, lips pursed and curled in a smile at the edges.  
  
It took her a second to realize everything. First, that she recognized the sound, it was a whistle. It was different from the one she had learned from Tidus, but it was the same thing. The odd sound of air rushing out from between a person's lips was unmistakable.  
  
That statement also brought the second observation. Tidus was the one who taught her how to whistle, and she was the only one he had taught, and she had never taught anyone. When this hit her, she stopped fast in the middle of the path.  
  
Anthony turned back at her, then he went wide eyed.  
  
"What?"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The creature crouched lower. It had one chance; it would be too late soon. It waited for an opening.  
  
It was on edge. The creature did not know fear, did not know love, did not know happiness, did not know sadness. But it new impatience. Whatever evolutionary track it had come down had somehow trained it for impatience. It was on edge, rocking back and forth on its heels. It needed to kill it. It needed to kill her. Its impatience flooded it with all kinds of hormones, increasing its energy and senses.  
  
Then it noticed something. His target was distracted, stunned, taken aback. This was an opening. This was its chance. It was the only chance it would get.  
  
Its hand gripped the blade tighter with the excitement before it pounced.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
It struck too quickly for anyone too comprehend.  
  
It was a hideous creature. Some weird combination of coyote and man. Its coloration was odd, tan and purple in stripes and blotches. It walked upright and had hands, but other than that it was dog-like It had a long snout and tail, large pointed ears, it wore no clothes. And it had a blade. A blade that was about the length of a sword, but did not appear to be purely metal. It almost seemed like someone had grown it, and odd mix of almost flesh-like wood or similar substance, and odd metal bits poking from within it.  
  
It lunged at Yuna, taking her down to the ground and off to the side of the path. She was too taken aback to respond to such an attack.  
  
Wakka, however, wasn't. Out of reflex, he kicked his Blitzball straight at the creature, taking it in the head. It was knocked off balance temporarily. That was all Yuna needed. She twisted, and rolled out from underneath the creature. She rolled off the path, into the brush.  
  
The creature looked at its assailant. It rushed at Wakka, blade out. It hit a wall of ice. Lulu stood there, one arm outstretched. It turned at her, and she did not have time to cast a spell.  
  
Anthony was frozen until he saw it rush at Lulu, who was positioned directly between him and the.whatever it was. He suddenly moved right next to her, and threw a punch at the creature. It never connected. He was thrown off balance by Lulu, sliding back to a more defensive position, and he was tangled in the creature's legs. It stumbled, stepping into the area between where his ankles had landed, and Anthony took the opportunity and scissored his legs, tripping it. He then scrambled to his feet.  
  
Wakka, who had taken the opportunity to retrieve his Blitzball, shouted "HEY!! Get Lu outta here!!"  
  
Anthony nodded in agreement, his running kicking sand into their attacker's eyes, distracting it for a bit. He reached Lulu and said, "C'mon, you heard him. Let's get the hell outta here."  
  
"No."  
  
"What the hell do you mean 'no'? C'mon, Wakka said to get you out of here, and I'm gonna do it."  
  
"I can help and I will." She said stubbornly.  
  
Anthony gave her a hard stare, usually one he reserved for people he really hated, and even then, only when he was in a bad mood. He thought for an instant, and tried to reason with her, while grabbing her wrist to try to pull her along. He regretted it, as shocks began to run up his arm, but he held on. "If we don't go, Wakka will be distracted. He'll be too busy worrying about you and your kid if we stay, and then he'll end up dead. No one wants that, right?"  
  
"But, he'll, they'll." she stammered, almost uncharacteristically worried.  
  
"We'll get Kimahri, he'll help. Now LET'S GO!!!" he shouted, dragging her as much as his now-numb arm would allow. She stopped the shocks, and looked resigned, but he felt her still resisting a bit as he began to run.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Wakka visibly calmed when Anthony and Lulu left. He then snapped his head toward his enemy, and dropped into a stance that he had used for years. 'Low, weight on the back foot, Blitzball under the right arm, left foot forward, left hand out. And now,' he thought, 'I can fight'.  
  
He stared at his target, still getting up from Anthony's brief assault. In his head, things started to work. Wakka, for all the insults to his intelligence his friends and his wife made, was a bit of a genius when it came to geometry and angles. It was a useful skill, as he could predict where and how his Blitzball would hit a target, and then come back to him. His grin widened, and he wound back, bringing the Blitzball into his hand, and released threw it with as much strength as he could manage.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Anthony and Lulu arrived at the village, Anthony gasping for breath. He had come in an all-out sprint, and was gasping. He saw Kimahri and waved him over. He was still bent over, trying to breathe properly.  
  
Lulu spoke to Kimahri when she saw Anthony could not. "Yuna's in trouble." She said. And that's all Kimahri needed. He ran a short distance, grabbed his spear from where it rested on a hut, and ran off into the jungle, hopping up onto a hill and running through the ruins.  
  
"Go.get...someone...to help.when they get back." Anthony said, straightening up, but still gasping.  
  
"I'll get the nuns at the temple to get ready. If only the crusaders weren't in Kilika for that damn meeting.  
  
"You. You go help Yuna and Wakka and Rikku and Kimahri. If I can't, you will." Lulu said adamantly.  
  
Anthony opened his mouth to protest, but her look told him not to. Besides, he DID want to help, but he had no way to. The fiend was armed, and he wasn't.  
  
But he could be. Something clicked in his head. He said, "Gimme a sec." and he ran towards the temple.  
  
When he arrived there, he went straight to Tidus' memorial. He slowed to a walk inside as he stood in front of it. The Brotherhood. He didn't know why, but he felt an odd feeling when he was near it. A connection to it. He stared and spoke to the blade, "Wakka told me not to touch you, but I think he'll make an exception." He grabbed the hilt, its end adorned with strips of cloth.  
  
Then something he didn't expect to happen. In fact the last thing he expected to happen- even less than a herd of elephants materializing in front of him and stomping his head- happened.  
  
The sword, its water-like blade, began to boil. The bubbles in the blade began to move quickly, and the blade seemed to melt. The odd guard that rested on the opposite side of the blade slid down into a cross hilt position, and the water the sword had shed ran up Anthony's arm, and to his bracer. It rested there, and formed a bubble around his whole forearm. He turned to look at the sword in his other hand, and saw it had stopped changing. It was a new sword. It had shrunk almost a foot and had gotten much thinner. The blades, for it had spread from a single blade into a double bladed weapon, ran parallel to each other, until about four inches below the tip, where one curved to the point, and another extended from the point and out about six inches before returning back to the blade, creating a spike or barb about two inches wide where it met the sword. The hilt remained almost unchanged, except for the guard resting in its new position. It was miraculous, it was insane.  
  
It was cool.  
  
Anthony felt a weight on his other arm and looked at it. The water was gone, leaving the bracer changed, though not as much as the sword. The wings of the bird that was placed on it had risen off the bracer, making a U shaped guard that spread out to both sides and ran until about the place where his fingers met his palm. The front of the bracer extended into a triangle shaped knuckle guard that ended right at his middle knuckle. It was firmly fixed to the bracer, so even if he twisted his wrist around it remained in place. He was amazed, and for several seconds simply stared at both of his newly acquired tools.  
  
Then he remembered why he was here in the first place. He stood straight up, and thought 'Now that I've got them, might as well use them'. He ran out side the memorial and was about to rush up to the place of the battle, when he realized something. He had no training with a sword. Tidus had never taught him about it, and unless you counted smacking his brother with a stick, he had never been trained anywhere else. The blade, though new and seemingly made for him, was little more than a big pointy club in his hands.  
  
He needed some advantage. Anything. His eyes moved towards the path. He saw where Kimahri had entered the forest to join them. An idea hit him. The ruins stretched from here to the point where they were attacked and even further. If he snuck along the ruins and tried to surprise it, or distract it, he or one of the others could kill it. It was as good a plan as any, and much better than running into a fight and getting carved up in two seconds. He ran to the edge of the forest, silently praying that his friends were alright.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Yuna was exhausted. The fiend- she was sure it was a fiend, it was too similar to the local fiends for it not to be one itself- was tireless. She had found a hardwood stick while she was in the brush that served as a staff for the time being. Wakka, Rikku, and she had been fighting it in a relentless manner. It would attack Rikku, who could only dodge, and do little to retaliate, and either Yuna or Wakka would distract it. It would then rush after that person, and the remaining people would draw him away again, and then it repeated. Kimahri joined in, giving a reprieve. He fought on pure rage, holding it at bay while Yuna helped heal the rest of the fighters. But rage is very draining. Kimahri could not fight for long.  
  
The fiend, blocking an overhead strike, kicked out at the Ronso. He was caught in the gut, knocking him off balance for a second. That second was all it needed. The fiend slashed at his left side. Kimahri grunted, and fell.  
  
Yuna screamed as her friend was kicked roughly by the fiend. She ran in front of him, staff raised to defend him. As the fiend approached her, Wakka tried to defend the both of them, but was knocked aside with a blow to back. He tried and tried, but he couldn't find the strength to stand again. He could not move.  
  
Yuna looked at him and gasped. A huge slash was straight across his back. Part of his spine had been severed. She could fix that with magic, but he would not last long without help.  
  
"Rikku! Help Wakka! Hurry!" Yuna yelled out. Her grip tightened on her makeshift staff. The fiend was still coming.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The fiend approached slowly. The one with the scent stuck out with its staff. The fiend blocked it with the flat of its blade, and then knocked it out of her hands. It kicked out with a leg, knocking her over the large blue one. It raised its blade in anticipation of a strike.  
  
Then its sensitive ears heard something. Above it. The snap of loose fabric moving quickly through the air. It looked up to see something it did not anticipate.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Anthony had found his way through the jungle. He had been as quiet as he possibly could, and he was fairly good at that. He had arrived at the same area, as far as he could tell, as the creature had come from. He looked through the underbrush, trying to find his friends. He almost swore out loud. Wakka looked injured, badly. Rikku was by him, defending him and trying to help him at the same time. Kimahri was on the ground, again, injured. And Yuna was behind him, the creature approaching her.  
  
Anthony herd Tidus' words ring in his ear 'PROTECT her. With every fiber of your being. Don't let her even get a scratch.' Anthony climbed onto a thick branch from a large, bent tree. He crawled as quickly as he could without making any sound. He waited until he was positioned above the creature, and leaped from the tree, down towards the creature, his newfound blade, held dagger-like, and pointed downwards. As he moved, he heard his over shirt, which he wore even in the Besaidian heat, snap in the wind, and the odd-beings head raise up.  
  
'Shit,' he thought. He decided he couldn't change it, and thrust the sword down further beneath him.  
  
To his dismay, the fiend rolled to the side, his blade only clipping its right hip. The Brotherhood dug deep into the soil. The being immediately came out of its tuck, raising its blade for a strike. Anthony, in a kneeling position to absorb the shock of his fall, switched his grip and rolled onto his back, striking in an overhead block. The blades struck with a force, and Anthony had to grab the top part of his blade. He cringed slightly as its honed edge cut into his hand. The fiend jumped backwards, bringing its blade into a fighting stance. Anthony brought his left arm up, his right hand tucked slightly back, and lowered into what seemed like a fighting stance.  
  
Internally, he was swearing at himself for wasting his element of surprise. That had been his only advantage. All he could do now was pray.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Yuna looked at him. Out of seemingly nowhere, Anthony had appeared and begun a fight with the fiend. He was armed with a bright blue blade, she thought it seemed familiar, but she could not get a good look at it, as he was swinging it around wildly. He was obviously untrained and the fiend took advantage of this. While Anthony managed to avoid hits to anything vital, the fiend's blade dove in and out, cutting his sides, his legs and his arms.  
  
Anthony's eyes met hers, and a sense of urgency washed over her. He gave a quick motion to Wakka and Kimahri with his eyes before a strike from the fiend cut his left shoulder. Then she realized what he was doing. 'He's buying us time.' She looked down at here injured Ronso friend and tried to find his wound. She had to act quickly. Anthony could not hold out forever.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Anthony had one thought on his mind.  
  
'Shit.'  
  
He was locked in battle with a creature that did not seem possible by any law of nature, Yuna was stuck healing and had no time to explain anything about this to him, Wakka was injured, Rikku was helping him, and Kimahri seemed out for the count.  
  
'Shit'  
  
He blocked a low strike towards his gut, but the fiend quickly moved the blade around to cut at his head. His left hand shot up out of reflex, and he took the strike to his bracer. The fiend seemed undaunted by this, and it backed up and dropped into a stance.  
  
"Shit," he muttered. He knew he couldn't hold out long, but then again, he might get lucky.  
  
His thoughts, now spreading beyond single words, organized them selves into categories. Best case: the thing-that-I-don't-know-the-name-for dies and everybody turns out ok. Worst case: I die, then everyone else dies, and the thing rampages into the village. And the case that seemed most likely: I die, but either I take it down with me, or I tire it out and that gives Wakka or Kimahri time to recover enough to finish it off. A grim smile crossed his face. 'I'm dead. But so are you. Say good night, Gracie.'  
  
He brought the sword into a low position, and lunged out, trying to make it move to its injured side. It simply jumped over his strike, but Anthony noticed it wince as its leg came down. He had to remember that.  
  
Any thoughts that followed were instantly erased from his mind as the fiend struck with a horizontal strike with enough force behind it that was obviously trying to end the battle right now. He tried to block it, but was sent flying off to the side with the force. He felt something in his left shoulder pop, and he cried out in pain. He tried to raise himself up, but his arm wouldn't work. He could see why. His left arm had been broken, the cut that the creature had made running deep into his shoulder. He managed to get up anyway, only to see his assailant rushing at him, blade out, trying to stab him through. He brought his sword up to meet it, blocking the strike almost entirely.  
  
Almost entirely. The force of the blow knocked his sword backwards, and he could do nothing to hold it steady. His arm flew behind him at an incredible speed, and he would have died, should have died, but the force that forced his arm back pushed him back as well. This is what saved him, for the attacking creature had stopped and extended its arm, but when Anthony flew back, it had to overextend, taking more force out of its already weakened blow. As it was now, the blade still cut into the man's chest, slicing him along his sternum. Anthony winced.  
  
He stumbled backwards, when the fiend, somehow managing to recover quickly from the attack, kicked him along his wounded chest. He lost his balance and fell down. The creature stood over him. Anthony looked at the creature hovering over him, its blade held ready. Anthony gripped his blade tighter with his working hand. He kicked out at the creature's right leg, distracting it, and its blade fell above him, out of its reach. He stabbed his blade up at the fiend's neck. Anthony almost dropped the blade when the being slipped its head to the side deftly, and ignored the small cut he had made along its neck.  
  
Anthony felt his heart sink in his chest and his guts turn cold. He was done for. Yuna was busy, and unarmed, she would be next. Then Rikku, and then Wakka and Kimahri. He stared at the bright blue sky for what seemed like the last time. A glint caught his eye. The barb on his blade. He hadn't even brought it down from his strike. Not that it mattered.  
  
Then, in the half second it took for the fiend to reach over him to retrieve its sword, Anthony thought of something. He twisted his wrist so the barb was behind the creature neck, and brought it down with strength he didn't know he had left. The being cried out in pain and released its sword. Anthony reached his arm out and to the side, and then pulled again, the honed edge cutting through its spine. The creature fell limp over him, and its body fell towards him. Anthony braced for it to fall on top of him, but it never did, its body burst into pyreflies, and they swarmed for a second, before spreading out into the air.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Yuna looked over from her healing. Kimahri was in almost fighting condition, but was still unconscious. She looked over to see how Anthony was handling the fiend, when she saw a pyrefly. She looked around, only to see Anthony on his back. His shoulders slumped with relief. He dug his new sword into the ground and used it to stand. He walked over slowly, tired. For a minuet, as he walked over, he looked very different. He wasn't the sarcastic fun person Yuna normally saw. He seemed a lot older than normal, and depressed, the blade dragging slightly on the ground.  
  
"Is he ok?" Anthony asked, his voice deeper than normal. His eyes were down, not meeting her gaze.  
  
"He should be fine," Yuna replied in what she hoped was a calming manner.  
  
"And Wakka?"  
  
Yuna looked over to where the large man was laying down. Rikku had used a potion on his spinal injury, and that looked as though it had healed properly, even if the flesh would need a little more to heal it.  
  
"He'll be ok, but we should get him back to the village. He needs some more healing, but not much."  
  
Anthony took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly, a small smile coming to his lips. He visibly calmed and cheered up.  
  
Yuna smiled a bit too, when she saw the nuns coming over with a stretcher for Wakka. She even heard a bird song. That reminded her of something.  
  
"Anthony?"  
  
"Yeah?' Anthony replied, a bit shocked.  
  
"Where'd you learn how to whistle like that? It was, different."  
  
"Oh, like that? I dunno. I just did. A lot of people can do it back home." Anthony stated.  
  
"It sounded like a song." Yuna said.  
  
"It was. I just do that. I can whistle songs from memory."  
  
"What song was it?"  
  
Anthony had to think about it for a minuet. He had forgotten in the excitement caused by a few small notes.  
  
"The City of Angels." Anthony said, a little surprised by his own answer.  
  
"Angels?"  
  
"A sort of holy being, a messenger of our God. They are higher and much more, perfect. They are, well, the perfect beings, and they help humans in many ways."  
  
So, the song was about your God?" Yuna tried to understand.  
  
"No. The city I'm from, Los Angeles, translates to City of Angels. It's a song about my home." And that brought Anthony to terms about his true feelings. He liked that song, but it wasn't his favorite. It didn't spring to his mind when he thought of music, he was just homesick. He missed the city. He really wanted to go back.  
  
"How does the song go?" Yuna asked, snapping Anthony out of his deep thoughts.  
  
He took a deep breath and started to sing in a deep voice. It was the only way he could manage some of the notes. And he was pleased to say, his singing voice wasn't that bad. Better than most of his friends at least. "Sometimes I feel  
  
Like I don't have a partner  
  
Sometimes I feel  
  
Like my only friend  
  
Is the city I live in  
  
The city of Angels  
  
Lonely as I am  
  
Together we cry  
  
I drive on her streets  
  
'Cause she's my companion  
  
I walk through her hills  
  
'Cause she knows who I am  
  
She sees my good detail  
  
And she kisses me windy  
  
I never worry  
  
Now that is a lie  
  
I don't ever want to feel  
  
Like I did that day  
  
Take me to the place I love  
  
Take me all the way  
  
I don't ever want to feel  
  
Like I did that day  
  
Take me to the place I love  
  
Take me all the way  
  
It's hard to believe  
  
That there's nobody out there  
  
It's hard to believe  
  
That I'm all alone  
  
At least I have her love  
  
The city she loves me  
  
Lonely as I am  
  
Together we cry  
  
I don't ever want to feel  
  
Like I did that day  
  
Take me to the place I love  
  
Take me all the way  
  
I don't ever want to feel  
  
Like I did that day  
  
Take me to the place I love  
  
Take me all the way Under the bridge downtown  
  
Is were I drew some blood  
  
Under the bridge downtown  
  
I could not get enough  
  
Under the bridge downtown  
  
Forgot about my love  
  
Under the bridge downtown  
  
I gave my life away"  
  
Yuna stared at him until he finished. "It sounds sad."  
  
"Yeah, I guess it is. Then again, Los Angeles isn't the happiest city on Earth. It's a bit.unforgiving." Anthony responded with a shrug.  
  
"Why do you live there?" Yuna asked, and almost instantly regretted it. She thought she was sounding annoying with her questions.  
  
On the contrary, Anthony liked talking about home. It was.refreshing. "I was born there, raised there, and I went to school there. It just, always seemed like home to me. Even when I went to a new place in the city, it felt. right, like home."  
  
Yuna smiled at that. She felt that way about Besaid. Even though she wasn't born there, she might as well have been. She always felt at home on the small island.  
  
She saw that Anthony's smile was somehow turning depressed. She saw he was homesick, and she tried to change the subject.  
  
"Anthony, where'd you get that sword?"  
  
He laughed. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."  
  
"Oh really?"  
  
"Really,"  
  
"Try me,"  
  
"Fine," he said, slinging his broken arm in his over shirt, and putting his sword over his shoulder. Yuna thought he looked a bit like Auron had. And as they walked back to the village, he told her. He told her everything. He told her about Tidus, the dreams, the sword, the bracer, all of it.  
  
When they finally arrived at the village- Anthony walked slow because, even though he wouldn't admit it, he was exhausted- Yuna was a bit overwhelmed. Through it all, she managed to organize one thing.  
  
When Wakka, Lulu, Rikku, and Kimahri came towards her, she told them that one thing.  
  
"We're going to Bevelle."  
  
A.N. Well, this took a hell of a lot longer than I expected. What, about, 10 months? Jesus, am I lazy. I did the first 3 pages right after chapter 5, got lazy, and then stopped for a long time. Then I did up to 5 or so in August after I got back from a vacation, and then 13 pages in about the last 2 months. That was mainly because I found out I can get credit for an assignment if I turn this into my English teacher. Nothing like grades to fire up creativity is there. Well, I hope I haven't lost my readers, (all eight of you), and I hope you will not expect a chapter this long in a month. Maybe two or three months. But they'll be long! I don't like short chapters all that much.  
  
Ahh, answering reviewer questions. I missed this.  
  
Evil Neko: Umm.yeah, about the posting fast thing.no. Sorry, but no. I can't post that fast. I have bursts of creativity dotted with boredom. So maybe in a bit. Thanks for the DOE role, and thanks a lot for beta-ing!  
  
Ichigo-nuclear (formerly Ish-bob): Answer; I'd make a corner. (You probably don't even remember the question).  
  
Rock-star-vt: Thank you for the praise, and I commend you on actually finishing a fic. And then doing a new one. You're the messiah and I'm the anti-Christ of posting speed.  
  
Solecito: Well, I knew I was going to hell along time ago, so, this is no surprise. And Auron is a supporting character. If he even shows up for the next 4 chapters I'll be surprised, so ha. And the removal of Chronicles of Insanity is a day that will live in infamy. Or you could just repost it under a different name.  
  
Carbuncle: STALKER!!! Shway (inside joke).  
  
Split Infinitive (formerly Moo): Thanks! And your work continues to be an inspiration to me. Keep posting!  
  
Sanguine Guardian: Well, thank you. I think I constantly improve the more criticism I get. So criticize! And I as an actual person talk to myself that much. It's less talking to himself, and more internal monologue. Or maybe I'm just nuts, who can tell?  
  
No One: Though you didn't actually review, I have to say thanks. For like the 70th time. You beta, support, and all around save me when it comes to this fic. And I hope college goes well.  
  
AND FINALLY!!!  
  
Qui-ti: Thank you for your tireless support and constant reminders that, this may shock you, I have a fic that needs to be done. Your cameo is more of a permanent character too. I need more characters, and you fit the bill. Hope your dad is better, and I hope you cleaned your room. Even if it's just a tiny bit. Thanks again.  
  
Well, I guess that's it. Time to work on the next installment. It'll be faster this time, I guarantee it. Thought faster is a very relative term.  
  
I've decided to retire "Trashalanach" It's too hard to spell. I might add another word in its place, but then again, I might not. All good things must come to an end. Even the ones that don't make any sense.  
  
~Target~ 


End file.
